It’s hard to believe that I am finally living “this moment.” Senior year is now a reality; it’s time to look back and draw conclusions and at the same time march ahead with definite plans for the future.

Everything has happened so fast these last couple of years…. It seems like yesterday I was entering ninth grade at Santaluces Community High in West Palm Beach, Fla. My family and I had just come from Cuba and I had no idea what to expect. I was living rough days with all the nostalgia, as well as depression, that came with leaving my family and friends in the country where I had lived for the first 14 years of my life. Academics only aggravated the situation. I have always been a student who seeks challenges, yet I felt powerless and insecure in this new school.

The biggest frustration was trying to learn the language. Since I had taken elemental English courses in Cuba, I had some control of grammar, but my pronunciation still needed to be polished and my vocabulary was very limited. I found myself using every resource that could help me dominate the language. Taking Drama during freshman year, for example, definitely gave me more eloquence and self-confidence. And vocabulary came with reading exhaustively every book that I could get in my hands. All the hard work paid off. After two months I was transferred to regular classes and taken out of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

It was during the second half of freshman year that we moved to Miami. With its warm weather and the prominence of Hispanic culture, Miami felt like home.

Right after our arrival I started school at Felix Varela Senior High. Fortunately for me, my life suddenly stabilized and I rapidly integrated into the system.

My parents could not have picked a better school for me. Felix Varela was built six years ago and has many of the benefits of new institutions. Easy access to technology, a wide range of extracurricular activities, and a solid program of advanced classes are just a few highlights. For a school with a population of approximately 4,500 students, it is definitely well structured.

I have taken advantage of everything that my school has to offer. I’m a very energetic person who likes finding a balance between rigorous academics and social activities. I feel that, had I neglected one of these, my high school experience so far would not have been as fulfilling.

I am known as the “Forrest Gump” of the school. I am always running around trying to maximize time and do a million things at once. I always manage to find something that needs to be taken care of: teacher recommendations for a certain scholarship, agendas for Math Honor Society meetings, rough drafts of articles for my magazine, you name it.

This year I have decided to narrow my school activities. Sophomore and junior years were a time to explore and discover interests and talents. So I joined a variety of clubs, including Key Club; Mu Alpha Theta; Class of 2006; the English, Spanish, and National Honor Societies; Best Buddies, and others. I also became editor of the school newspaper, applied for an academic internship at Baptist Hospital, and joined the golf team.

Senior year, however, requires an establishment of priorities. I feel that my current involvement in school should be reduced to those activities that really motivate me or that I can continue once I graduate. I have decided that the right dose of extracurriculars this year is being president of the Math Honor Society, vice president of the Spanish Honor Society, member of the National Honor Society and member of the golf team. Also, the college application process and preparation for standardized tests are proving to be very time-consuming.

My priority this year is academics. I am aiming for a good performance on my advanced classes in environmental science, English literature, U.S. government, macro economics, calculus, human geography and chemistry. Although my schedule seems very demanding, I made sure to take enough advanced courses during the two previous years to get used to the load of work. Now I feel very comfortable with the environment. The material being covered and the classroom interaction makes these classes special. The intellectual setting gives room for constant discussions and questioning of new ideas. Teachers no longer treat you as a student; now you are a scholar.

Having taken so many advanced courses in high school will be a great benefit in college. I think I am prepared for the challenges that higher education will bring. I’m responsible, self-disciplined, and, most of all, determined. That same attitude will help me attack my college applications.

Planning for college began toward the end of junior year. I decided I wanted to become a corporate lawyer, so I took every social studies and humanities course offered at my school. The next step was to research the best undergraduate programs for this career. That’s when I ran into a conflict. The description of the LSAT (the admissions test for law school) said that they recommend pursuing a major that focuses on writing and analytical skills. I had initially thought of majoring in economics but this discovery led to some reconsideration. I’m now thinking of being an English major. In the end, English is what I enjoy the most.

Based on this plan, I designed a list of 10 colleges to which I will be applying. This list ranges from few a very selective schools to those they call “safe schools.” In early June, I requested application materials from each college and gave the recommendation forms to my teachers to allow them time to write the letters. I then started gathering ideas for my essays and consulting other students who were attending those schools to which I was applying. I can only hope I will be admitted to the school in which I will be happiest.

The high school journey is drawing to a close. I can only look forward to enjoying every second of the time remaining. I don’t fear what will come next. I’m sure I am ready to face it.